Silver Moonshadow
by corrupted-innocent
Summary: ON HIATUS. Sess/Kag AU fic, although I've largely discontinued this because other writers have already done it, and better than I can. Particularly, I recommend Striking Falcon's "Unexpected Allies" series. Go read that instead!
1. Teaser!

Ohayo!!! ^.~ Yes, it's me, I've done it again. Started a story that I'll probably never, ever, EVER finish. But if people like it enough, then, y'know. there are possibilities there. Ehehehe. ANYWAYS. yeah, this is an Inuyasha fic, it'll be PG-13, or maybe even R, at the worst, cause if I tried to write anything worse than that (or better, depending on your perspective) I'd be blushing too hard to see the keyboard, plus I'm pretty sure ff.net won't post it. This will mainly be Sess x Kag, with some side stuff, and MAJOR Kikyou-bashing and death-of-evil-mikos. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!  
  
Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it. If you don't recognize it, it's MINE. Quite a simple concept, really.  
  
Teaser for Ch.1:  
  
Inuyasha snorted. "He's not fit to follow a wounded banshee at the moment, but at the rate he's bleeding every major demon within a hundred miles will be here by nightfall to finish him off." Kagome froze in her tracks, dragging on Inuyasha's grip. "What?" Inuyasha asked, exasperated, looking back at her. "You left him?!" Kagome asked, incredulous. No way. Shippou squeaked in her ear. "Yeah, so?" Inuyasha stated, unconcerned. "Inuyasha." Miroku said hesitantly. "Maybe we should-" "We're going back." Kagome stated bluntly. She stepped around Inuyasha and took a step back in the direction Inuyasha had come from. "Come on." Sango looked between Kagome and Inuyasha, beckoned to Kirara, and followed the young miko into the trees. "What the hell?" Inuyasha yelled after her. "Kagome, what do you think you're doing?" Kagome's voice floated back to him. "Sit!" Miroku sighed, watching the dog-demon eat dirt. "I don't get it!" Inuyasha complained, spitting out a leaf. "What is that girl thinking?" Jang! Inuyasha grabbed his head where Miroku's staff had connected with it. "He's your brother, stupid. Don't you care?" Miroku asked. He heard Sango calling them and turned to leave. Inuyasha struggled to his feet, following grudgingly. "Yeah, but he's trying to kill us." Inuyasha muttered dimly. "Don't you care?" 


	2. Chapter One

> > > > > 25,5,04 - OMG, I actually updated this thing!!! Sugoi!!! I'm so enthused!!! Anyway . . . this is really supposed to be only part of the first chapter, but it's taking so dang long to write that I got sick of it, so I'm posting what I've got.  
  
Also . . . people actually reviewed!!! I'm on Alert Lists!!! I'm so excited!!! Weeeeeeeee! SO . . . on with the story!  
  
Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it's not mine. If you don't recognize it, it is mine. Simple, ain't it?  
  
SILVER MOONSHADOW  
  
CHAPTER ONE  
  
A hawk, soaring above its territory, looked down on the land, searching for a tasty morsel for its mate and chicks. It glided gracefully through a cloud, silver wing tips rustling and fluttering in the cool wind. It spotted a movement at the edge of a large stand of tall green trees, and it's sharp eyes focused on the treeline. It dived closer to take a look.  
  
Far below, five two-leggers and a mammal were walking along in their strange ways. The mammal was the most normal to the hawk's eyes: it had glowing red eyes, two tails, fur, ears, fangs, all the things proper land- beasts had. Two of the others did have ears, and one, the smallest of the lot, was blessed to have an appropriately fuzzy tail as well. The others were of that strange, evil race called 'man'. The hawk paid no attention to them. They were all making a fuss. It flew away in disgust to the sound of despicable 'man' noises.  
  
"Sitsitsitsit!" Kagome yelled. "Ugh. Stop calling me that!" Inuyasha crashed to the ground, muttering in his misery. Kagome stepped past him and kept walking, utterly furious. He was as bad as any brother might be! How could she have ever had a crush on him? _He's so unbelievable._  
  
In the three years she had known him, he hadn't changed a bit. Well... he was a bit more polite while she was around, but no less impulsive or rude or stupid or... or... ugh! He was so... _arrogant!_  
  
"Huh?" The hanyou in question stopped grumbling abruptly, turning his face into the light wind coming over the treetops.  
  
"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, turning around and walking up beside him. She sensed no jewel shards, though something _was_ niggling at her senses. "What is it?" She asked softly.  
  
Inuyasha growled deep in his throat. "Sesshoumaru." He said. He turned to Kagome. "Stay put, I'll be back." He ordered, then dashed off.  
  
"Not likely." Kagome ground out as he faded into the trees, starting off after him. Shippou scrambled onto her shoulder, and behind her she heard Miroku and Sango sigh. They set off.  
  
Kagome and the others had only been walking about five minutes when Inuyasha met them coming back. "Oi, wen- uh, woman, I told you to stay!" He yelled, not losing his stride at all, but grabbing her and making off. Kagome struggled out of his grip and landed on her feet in front of him. "Come on, let's go." Inuyasha growled, giving up on carrying her and opting for dragging her away by the wrist.  
  
Sango caught up behind them, reaching for her boomerang. "Is Sesshoumaru following you?" She asked, eyes worried. Miroku and Kirara stood behind her.  
  
Inuyasha snorted. "He's not fit to follow a wounded banshee at the moment, but at the rate he's bleeding every major demon within a hundred miles will be here by nightfall to finish him off."  
  
Kagome froze in her tracks, dragging on Inuyasha's grip. "What?" Inuyasha asked, exasperated, looking back at her.  
  
"You _left_ him?!" . _'No way.'_ Kagome asked, incredulous. Shippou squeaked in her ear.  
  
"Yeah, so?" Inuyasha stated, unconcerned.  
  
"Inuyasha . . ." Miroku said hesitantly. "Maybe we should-"  
  
"We're going back." Kagome stated bluntly. She stepped around Inuyasha and took a step back in the direction Inuyasha had come from. "Come _on_." Sango looked between Kagome and Inuyasha, beckoned to Kirara, and followed the young miko into the trees.  
  
"What the hell?" Inuyasha yelled after her. "Kagome, what the fuck do you think you're doing?"  
  
Kagome's voice floated back to him. "Sit!"  
  
Miroku sighed, watching the dog-demon eat dirt. "I don't get it!" Inuyasha complained, spitting out a leaf. "What is that girl thinking?"  
  
_Jang!_ Inuyasha grabbed his head where Miroku's staff had connected with it. "He's your brother, stupid. Don't you care?" Miroku asked. He heard Sango calling them and turned to leave. Inuyasha struggled to his feet, following grudgingly.  
  
"Yeah, but he's trying to _kill_ us." Inuyasha muttered dimly. "Don't _you_ care?" Miroku just sighed again and shook his head.  
  
Kagome stood with Sango, Shippou, and Kirara on the edge of a small clearing near the border of the forest. She looked around with horrified awe at the bloody destruction of the scene laid out before her. The moss and grasses on the ground might once have been green, but it was hard to tell through the path of liquid life covering the ground. A bloody path tore through the clearing- a clearing only in the broadest sense of the word- which looked as though it had been torn haphazardly from the treetops downward. A line of torn-off tree branches and shredded, broken vegetation hung like dying red roses, dripping red. A body, unmoving, lay at the feet of a grandfather tree. Hesitantly, Kagome walked towards it.  
  
It was only barely recognizable as Inuyasha's elegant elder brother. The silver hair was there, the rich, immaculate clothing, the two powerful, razor sharp swords in delicate-looking scabbards, even that fluffy object that Kagome believed to be a luxurious tail. Everything was soaked in the demon lord's blood, reeking of death, his yukata and his creamy pale skin shredded and cut as though mauled by wild animals. For a moment, Kagome thought Inuyasha had been wrong- Sesshoumaru had to be dead- but she saw one hypnotic golden eye slit open.  
  
The young miko's gray-blue eyes locked with his, and lightning crackled like a live thing in their gazes. The exotic demon growled at her, causing shivers to travel the length of her spine in ways Inuyasha had never done. Even when he was about to embrace death like the old friend he was, Sesshoumaru retained a control of his surroundings that overwhelmed Kagome's own miko presence a hundred-fold. Confused and more than a little intimidated, Kagome shoved her emotions away without displaying them- now was not the time. She gestured behind her back for Sango to calm down. Slowly, Kagome backed up a few paces and knelt, back straight, trying not to tremble when she thought about how easily Sesshoumaru could frighten her even in moments like this. The demon's paralyzing golden eyes never broke from hers.  
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama, listen to me, please," Kagome said calmly. She kept her voice steady and didn't look away from him, trying to impress upon him her truthfulness. "You are badly wounded. You know this." Sesshoumaru's gaze embodied ice, piercing her like deadly icicles. Blood trickled onto his cheek from a cut over his eye, but he didn't blink. Kagome continued doggedly before she lost her confidence. "I know that you body will heal on it's own, and that you do not need or want pampering or food or to be indebted to anyone. But you realize that the weakest and stupidest of humans could kill you now. Even I could kill you easily at this moment."  
  
Kagome waited while Sesshoumaru thought that over, breathing deeply and hoping that he wouldn't explode at her as Inuyasha tended to do. Finally, he gave a grudging- and obviously painful- nod of agreement. Kagome, feeling justified, continued in a rush. "I am offering to protect you until you are ready to fend for yourself- a point in time which I will determine for myself." Kagome hadn't thought about adding that last part, especially not in such a sharp tone; it had just slipped without warning from her mouth. She paused in shock at her own audacity. Sesshoumaru's gaze slid over her shoulder as the sound of Inuyasha's approach reached Kagome's ears, and she hurried to finish her offer before Inuyasha interrupted. "I will not expect you to repay me in any way at any time, and I fully expect you to try to kill me. I am okay with that. You are a warrior and a demon and a lord, and if you are going to kill me for something you believe I have done, it is your right. If you are strong enough to kill me, then you are strong enough to survive. Until then, I am offering you what I can, for you to take or leave.  
  
Sesshoumaru's POV   
  
Sesshoumaru gazed at his half-brother's bitch, angered that she was offering this, angered that he needed help, angered that he knew he was going to end up accepting her saving grace. Or was it grace? Maybe his foolish brother had put her up to this.  
  
Behind the human girls, at the edge of the path his fall had carved into the forest, he saw another human approaching, and his insolent hanyou brother following. The impudent child was glaring with fury-filled eyes at the miko child. He strode forward angrily and stopped well behind the girl, far out of range of Sesshoumaru's sword, especially when he was so wounded. "Whatever nonsense she spilled, forget it, Sesshoumaru. Kagome, get the hell away from him and let's go."  
  
"Sit," the miko stated placidly. Sesshoumaru was genuinely surprised and almost amused when his brother fell hard to the ground. It was not a truly damaging impact, but it was, from the reactions of the other weaklings around him, a common occurrence. He was also startled that he actually felt flickers of overflowing miko power when the girl gave the command. Was she, this girl-child Kagome, so powerful? He would have to be careful not to use any of his demon powers in her presence, or she would destroy him without thinking on it. It bore thinking, this girl's powers, but the demon lord didn't ponder it for long just then. The exchange had answered one of his initial questions. The miko was obviously doing this without the brat's consent. Sesshoumaru respected her a little more for having such power, and for using it so appropriately on his half-brother.  
  
Sesshoumaru recalled the way she had backed up before sitting before him. She was not only being respectful, but also knew that he would be less comfortable and trusting if he wasn't able to see her entire body, and that he wouldn't be able to do so if she sat too close. Obviously, the girl respected him and understood him greatly, which was seen also in how she had presented her offer. A similar offer from a more trustworthy person may have been turned down if not given correctly. Poor words spoke of a lack of knowledge, either of oneself, one's argument, or one's opponent or ally. The girl even appeared unafraid, but Sesshoumaru knew that was not true. She expected him to protest and attempt to kill her. She was intimidated by him, but accepted his ability to easily destroy her. She was acknowledging his superiority in their relationship even as she offered to nurse his wounds. This one showed startling insightfulness for such a young mortal.  
  
As Time Passed   
  
Sesshoumaru found to his disgust that he was struggling not to show emotion. It was, however, terribly hard not to laugh at how his worthless younger sibling was utterly controlled by the miko Kagome. He looked on, face as expressionless as a mask, as Inuyasha was pounded into the dirt by a nearly invisible force when she said the word 'sit'. The hanyou's insufferable manners had once again earned him several repetitions of the word.  
  
Sesshoumaru allowed himself a tiny spilt second smirk, like the sun peaking through the clouds on a stormy day, as Kagome flopped down ungraciously next to him, huffing her frustrations. She muttered obscenities under her breath, though Sesshoumaru could hear her quite clearly. "Twit. Jerk. Pervert. Bastard!" One delicate eyebrow, traced by a healing scar, rose on his face as he heard her swear. She glared murderously at him when she spied his questioning gaze, swatting his unwounded shoulder roughly, but he achieved his desired effect as she chuckled. "Oh, hush, you," Kagome muttered.  
  
Fury still crinkled her forehead like scrunched paper, but her hands were delicate and gentle as she checked the bandages he wore. The girl tugged gently at the hem of his loose sleeping kimono, looking for blood on the many bandages covering his chest and shoulders. She pressed tenderly at his wounds, mumbling fiercely about both brothers. Sesshoumaru ruthlessly squashed the urge to smirk yet again. He obligingly shifted in a now familiar routine to allow the miko better access to his wounds, letting her paw over his skin with her weak, smelly human hands. He was going to take a long, relaxing soak after this was all over, to get the stench of humanity off his skin.  
  
All his minor wounds had healed over the course of the past three days; these were the broken bones, the jagged cuts and stab wounds, the scraped off skin and muscle. Unfortunately, his body had been so overloaded that it hadn't been able to properly heal everything all at once. Sesshoumaru hated to admit it, but his broken jaw and punctured throat would not have properly healed without the rest and magical aid that Kagome had provided. And without any aid at all- if Kagome had not helped him and he'd been forced to make do for himself- he might not have survived at all. Sesshoumaru pushed those thoughts away.  
  
Kagome was tracing her hands over his face, using her fingertips and her magic to see if his jawbone was set and healing properly. Sesshoumaru lay still, eyes closed, and cleared his body and mind, relaxing under the careful ministrations. When the black-haired miko was done, he took her two small hands in his right. She looked at him, startled, but the look of cornered pray in her eyes faded when she saw that he meant no harm. His gaze softened. "I am in your debt, miko," he murmured.  
  
Kagome squeezed his hand with hers, then pulled away gently. A soft breeze blew over them, brushing her hair into her face. Once more, she brushed her fingertips along his cheek stripes; this time, however, the gesture made him warm inside and he felt an ache in his chest. He quashed the reactions and remained outwardly calm, but Kagome must have known he was affected by her nearness. She leaned forward and brushed a chaste kiss over his crescent mark, then drew away. She could not know that as a youkai, such a gesture was a sign of respect, but Sesshoumaru accepted the young human's touch. A small smile graced her lips, and he somehow knew she had realized that he would not harm her for her openly affectionate attitude. It frustrated him that he didn't know why he couldn't feel vengeful for the humiliation he had gone through, being cared for by a human miko, the embodiment of what should be his worst enemy.  
  
"I told you not to bother with that," she said demurely, as though commenting on the weather. Indeed, she tilted her head back to look at the sky, and shadows played over her features as the sun shone through the leaves of the trees above them. "I'm grateful for the rest I've had for myself, and glad that . . .I got to see this peaceful side of you."  
  
"That does not change my obligation to you now." Sesshoumaru wondered if his estimation of her intelligence had been too generous. He observed her, waiting for her reaction.  
  
She looked back at him, saw him watching her, and laughed lightly. "You are a very honorable person, Sesshoumaru-sama." Kagome said. Sesshoumaru said nothing. Kagome remained quiet as well. Sesshoumaru was in debt to a human and he knew it, but it did not bother him as it should- as it would have a few days ago. It was true that he had been calmer, more at peace now in these past few days of rest, than at any other time in the last half- century. Not since he was a child of barely two decades and his half- brother but a babe had Sesshoumaru shown so much emotion. "I will not forget this, miko," Sesshoumaru told the girl as she stood. She merely smiled.  
  
That Night   
  
Sesshoumaru silently shifted on the futon, flexing and stretching minutely. He was not fully healed- that would take a week yet, at most- but he was more than well enough to fend for himself. He tightened and loosened each muscle in his body one by one, testing their strength so he would know how much he could do. Then he rose, making the barest whisper of noise even to his own delicate ears, and moved slowly to the edge of the odd group's camp. He could faintly smell three-day-old blood coming from the north, upwind, and moved south and west around the camp, masking his scent and aura and traveling to put some distance between himself and the blood beacon. If his pathetic half-brother had any wisdom at all, in the morning when he discovered Sesshoumaru's departure he would leave as well. Few demon lords would be foolish enough to head towards that death trap, especially now in the hour before dawn, when lesser and stupider demons would flock to the blood smell after all this time, hoping to find prey. Without Tetsusaiga or a similar weapon, even demon lords could be fatally wounded if there were enough demons attacking him, or they were angry enough. Sesshoumaru had fallen into that very situation not a week ago, though, he suspected, not without some help from a certain power-hungry hanyou of low origins. Naruka needed to be taught a lesson, simply for the fact that he was growing too big for his armor.  
  
Sesshoumaru was about five minutes' walk from the Dark camp, walking swiftly under dim stars and a fading quarter moon, when the breeze picked up and blew two scents to his nose. One was of kitsune, fire, and roses, coming from the river that was close to his hanyou half-brother's camp. The other was blood and smoke and stink, coming straight for the forest of Sesshoumaru's would-be grave.  
  
Sesshoumaru contemplated stopping to fight the demon, but then decided against it. He would let the deranged thing continue on it's way; if that crowd of outcasts could not handle such a crazed and mindless thing invading at dawn, they didn't deserve a rescue. He walked on. For a moment he hesitated, then shook his head and continued, then slowed, then stopped.  
  
_Kuso!_ Had the miko been at the camp? Sesshoumaru knew that she would bathe each day at dawn in the river. He remembered because such cleanliness in humans was something he'd never heard of before. He stilled and scented the air again, searchingly this time. The smell of the camp where she had spent most of the past week was ten minutes upwind of him, but the scent came faintly. He did not think she was there, though. As the scent of the approaching demon filled his nostrils with its approach, Sesshoumaru found her- and swore again, this time aloud. She was returning from her bath just now, and that thing was headed right to her.  
  
Exasperated with himself, Sesshoumaru turned towards the nearby river. Yes, there was her scent, dimmed by her dip in the river, and accompanied by. . . that was the little kitsune cub, yes? It slept with her, he recalled now. If Sesshoumaru had judged correctly, the demon would cross their path scant seconds behind them and catch their scent at once. The miko had not brought her weapons . . . she was defenseless, and he had that embarrassing debt to her. He would have to save her.  
  
As Sesshoumaru neared the miko and the kitsune cub, his thoughts turned to a new problem. If he saved her and killed the demon, then let her go, she would probably tell his insolent half-brother of his departure, or the hanyou would get it out of the girl, who'd proved to be as loyal as any inu youkai. Sesshoumaru didn't need the idiot chasing after him, but he needed an hour to cover his tracks and get effectively out of range of the boy's meager untrained senses. He couldn't save her and then kill her- it was a pointless waste of time and energy. But he couldn't leave her to be slaughtered because of that annoing debt hanging over his head. No matter that the foolish miko didn't hold it against him in her own mind, no matter that no other youkai knew of it- if he backed out on a debt, even one to a human, Sesshoumaru would feel it for many years to come. Honor was one emotion that demon lords held highly. Unresolved, his thinking was put aside as the problematic girl came in sight.  
  
The demon, a great misshapen thing dibbling poison and ripping up earth and trees like a child with toy blocks, landed on the dirt path directly behind the untrained miko and her kitsune cub. Both turned at once as the thing started oozing saliva on the ground. Immediately the girl reached for her bow, but it wasn't there. She tried to slowly get off the road without attracting the thing's attention, looking for a weapon on hand that might be effective against the disgusting beast. As Sesshoumaru watched, she reached the tree line and started doubling back towards the river, making a wide circle to try and get out of the wind and hoping it would lose her scent in the water. A brave and effective tactic, usually, but in this situation, useless. The demon leapt- it would be on her in a second-  
  
Without thinking, Sesshoumaru flew to the ground beside her, scooped her up, and shot into the air as the demon hit the trees where they had been. The brainless thing would have squashed the meal it was trying to get. The thing's claws slashed by to their left, barely missing as Sesshoumaru dodged in the air. He summoned a cloud spell and headed through the sky to his domain the West, holding tightly to the miko. Sesshoumaru realized she was saying something.  
  
Kagome's POV   
  
"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Kagome berated herself under her breath, "how could I forget my bow?" She plucked angrily at the ratty dark blue sleeping kimono she wore, and the green beads of her bracelet clicked. Frustrated, Kagome glared at the innocent collection of beads and fangs that Kaede had shown her how to put together as a binding spell. It was similar to the one Inuyasha wore now, but since Kagome had made this one completely by herself, she had more flexibility in the commanding of the spell. Kagome had made it for Kouga one day, after he'd visited 'his woman'. She was so fed up with his senseless actions! She'd already keyed it to variations on the command word 'stay', so once he put it on, the spell was set, and she could force him to hold still and shut up while she explained to him the way things worked.  
  
As Kagome's angry train of thought wound down, she became aware of her present surroundings. After vaguely noting that Sesshoumaru had saved Shippou and her, she'd stopped worrying about thier imminent death and gone into self-punishment mode. Maybe she ought to start questioning her own sanity.  
  
"Thank you, Sesshoumaru-sama," Kagome said sincerely, looking up. He nodded, not looking at her but acknowledging her. When he didn't immediately rip her throat out, Kagome had half a mind to berate him for being up and about, but he was obviously doing fine. Kagome gave him a check-up anyway, though it was a little hard since he was supporting all her weight by holding her up against him. There were no blood spots on his white under-kimono over any of his old wounds. Kagome resolutely checked over the rest of, not believing he got away from that monster thing without a scratch. Really, she was hoping he was hurt- just a little, mind- because she was going to miss him once he was gone. It was so fun to see him raise one of those delicate eyebrows and look at her through his wispy bangs, eyes telling her clearly, 'I do not believe a word you are saying, and I am only tolerating you because I find you amusing'. So often these past few days, she had noticed-  
  
_Blood?_ Kagome looked again, and sighed in exasperation. "Onegai, Sesshoumaru-sama," Kagome murmured, poking his left shoulder above the stump of his arm, "I just got you all fixed up! Men!" For a long moment Sesshoumaru remained impassive as she glared up at him. Then he looked down and smirked at her. Kagome could tell it was his 'so deal with it' smirk and not his 'I'm about to kill you, stupid' smirk. Kagome held his gaze for as long as she could, then looked away and smothered her chuckle. She tried to stifle her growing laughter by burying her face in his kimono, but it barely worked. Eventually Shippou asked what was going on and she had to calm down enough to assure him that everything was fine. Then the seriousness of the issue returned to her.  
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama," she ventured, "are you, at this time, able to heal this wound immediately or tolerate it being left open for a while?" She'd carefully pulled away the stained cloth of his robes to reveal a large cut running from his breastbone, just below his neck, to his shoulder. After using her own tattered sleeping kimono to wipe away the sopping blood and demon grime, the wound had still bled, but cleanly at least. Kagome pressed her hand to the wound, but Sesshoumaru's demon blood pulsed out around her fingers, unstoppable.  
  
"This Sesshoumaru's body has recovered, but the blood is still weak, and too much has been lost already." Sesshoumaru said. "This wound needs to be healed, but this Sesshoumaru cannot heal it while directing the cloud spell, and stopping is not an option." He didn't explain himself as much as Kagome would have appreciated, but he gave her enough information to come to a conclusion. She would have to use her miko powers to heal the wound.  
  
Kagome had used some of Kaede's teaching to heal before, and she could do some simple barrier and command spells, like the command beads, if she had enough time and no interruptions. She didn't know if she could on the fly- litteraly- and she was afraid of what might happen to her if the power backfired. She'd used her healing energy to fix Sesshoumaru's jaw, but it had taken everything in her and she'd slept for a full day after it. She didn't know if she could use small amounts of her ability in the same way as she used it on large wounds- by getting the bone and flesh in the right position and soaking it in magic to knit the body back together. If it backfired or she used too much, the power would overflow onto her, and that hurt. He's in this fix because he saved me, Kagome told herself. She could stand a little pain for him. She lay one hand on chest and one on his shoulder, at the beginning and end of the cut, and closed her eyes.  
  
Sesshoumaru's POV   
  
Sesshoumaru looked down, almost surprised, when he felt the miko's powers swell around him. He suspected that she'd had very little formal training in using her powers, and most of her experience was from practical application of a natural talent. Therefor it was something of a shock that she had so much control over her power. It must be straining to get at the demons around her, most notably his hanyou brat of a brother and the little kitsune that followed her around. She seemed to have no trouble in forcing the power away from its original intention- to purge youkai. All that power she possessed must be forcing itself out in other ways. When she had healed his jaw, the miko had had no trouble in formatting the energy to help instead of hurt him, but she had difficulty in getting it to go where she wanted it. Quite the contradiction this girl was; for most miko, the problem went the other way.  
  
As Sesshoumaru entertained the kitsune cub by playing a childhood game of what's-that-smell with him, he concentrated on the feel and smell of the miko as she used her power. Her scent changed when she used her power. She smelled always of human, female, youth, and miko, of roses and vanilla and the people she was with, of her health and cycle and status. All of this was underlain by her own unique scent, nameless and easily used by youkai to distinguish between people. Sesshoumaru had long ago memorized her signature, and he compared it to her scent now as the power swelled inside her and a pink glow appeared in the air around her.  
  
His cut was instantly healed, and for a moment the lazy flow of magic trickled off, before coming back in force. The power washed over him like a tidal wave, and Sesshoumaru's whole left side went numb. The miko slumped in exhaustion, but kept her hands still until the job was done. He knew what she had done, knew she had done it without even knowing, but that didn't stop him from being totally annoyed with the girl. She kept doing these things for him, and when he went to repay her, it only got worse.  
  
Kagome's hands slid without feeling down his sleeve, but she started faintly when she touched his clawed hand. The feeling was returning slowly in painful tingles, but Sesshoumaru ignored it and grasped her two hands in his. He marveled at the feel of the new arm. It would have taken him a decade to grow it back so completely. Even all the muscle was there, and the stripes over his wrist showed plainly.  
  
"Did I do that?" The girl murmured. Looking dazed, she grabbed his hand and ran her fingers over it, studying his taiyoukai stripes in the moonlight. Sesshoumaru shivered and drew the hand away from her.  
  
"Yes," he answered, staring at it for himself. The numbness was leaving it now, and he traced one perfect clawed finger over the miko's jaw, appreciating the returned sensation. Then he looked with exasperation to the frustrating creature in his arms. "Are you quite done helping me, miko?" She slapped him on the shoulder reflexively, but her energy was gone and he barely felt it.  
  
"For that remark, not quite," she growled, sleepily tugging at her wrist. She pulled the green beads off, and unlooped them, but when she tried to put the necklace over his head, she found she wasn't tall enough. Sensing nothing in the harmless bit of rock, bone, and string, Sesshoumaru obligingly took the thing and put it over his head, hoping she would get to sleep and stop bothering him if he cooperated, and thinking he could then remove the offending bit of jewelry without her interfering. "Ha," the miko said, "Gotcha, Sesshou-" She fell into dreamless slumber without even finishing his name, but as the necklace settled around his shoulders, Sesshoumaru-sama, Demon Lord of the Western Lands, found he had other things to worry about.
>>>>> 
>>>>> All done with this bit!!! WEEE!!! Review, and I'll write more . . . but I really should work on my other fics too. . . But review anyway! It's so inspiring!!! Thanks to everyone who reviewed this!!!


	3. Chapter Two

16,7,04- Squee!!! I have so many reviews!!!! Sixteen!!! That's more than any of my other fics!!! I was gonna put up a one-shot, but then I checked my stats and . . . and . . . I have reviews!!! I love you guys!!!  
  
From here out, I'm typing it all up as I go along, so it's gonna take longer to get everything up. Chapter One I already had written. And, unfortunately, I've got to go to sleep before I pass out, so this won't be getting up as soon as I would like. But anyways, here's what I've got now!

SILVER MOONSHADOW  
  
CHAPTER TWO  
  
'_Kuso! What IS this?!_' Sesshoumaru thought, shocked beyond belief, as the beads settled on his chest. They had looked like a harmless collection of green stone beads and large animal claws (probably bear or wolf, by the size) strung together with a bit of leather. But once they left Kagome's wrist, they took on a power that was overwhelming and unbreakable.  
  
He had no idea what the purpose of the beads might be, but the miko power in the necklace was immense. The strands of magic immediately wrapped themselves around Sesshoumaru's own core of power, too fast for him to counter. It felt like some sort of controlling magic, linking him to Kagome. By the feel of the link, she was probably the only one who could remove it.  
  
He was surprised that the miko power hadn't tried to harm or subdue him when it was activated. If Kagome had already keyed the necklace to react to a demon, she must have had a large amount of power, raw and emotional, at her command. He wasn't afraid of her power, but it was fairly intimidating in it's own right. A lesser demon would be easily purged by her spells, if she once learned to use her magic properly. But she somehow had avoided the training many others must have desperately offered her. Sesshoumaru resigned himself to the fact that he would never understand this miko girl, untrained but tried and experienced.  
  
For a while they flew on in silence. Sesshoumaru held the passed-out girl in his arms, and the kitsune, tired of playing, had settled down on his shoulder armor to take an early morning nap. Kagome wouldn't be able to stand on the cloud, even if she were awake- she'd fall right through, because it only supported demons. But he didn't really mind carrying her. Sesshoumaru was headed for the place where he had left An-Un and Rin in Jaken's charge. They should have gone back to his castle when he did not return from that ill-fated scouting trip, but with the strange toad-demon, one never knew. Unfortunately, Jaken was more useful than he was bothersome, so Sesshoumaru kept the toad around.  
  
He focused on the cloud spell, bringing it to a halt above the small meadow where he had left his servants. They were not there, and the signs of their presence were days old. Apparently, Jaken had done the right thing for once. Sesshoumaru had been preparing himself to punish the witless thing for leaving Rin unprotected in the forest for days, but thankfully there was no need. Jaken was as respectful as . . . as Kagome was, but he was not the brightest star in the sky when it came to anticipating this Lord's wishes.  
  
Sesshoumaru commanded the cloud to proceed, and without a word to his passengers he continued on to his castle.  
  
Kagome's POV  
  
When Kagome woke, the sun was up and shining with comforting heat on her face. For a moment she forgot where she was, reveling in the warmth all around her and the bright, beautiful day. Then she looked down.  
  
"KYAAAA!!!!" Kagome screamed. Below her dangling feet, trees and meadows and streams rushed away at an alarming rate. She closed her eyes and breathed in heavily, clutching to whatever was supporting her.  
  
"Miko, I will drop you if you do that again," a voice growled in her ear. At the sound, Kagome remembered everything that had happened. The demon had attacked her, and Sesshoumaru had saved her, and then she had . . . No way. And after . . . her green necklace!  
  
"I'm sorry, Sesshoumaru-sama," Kagome apologized, all the while silently berating herself for every stupid thing she had done since the day before and wondering why Sesshoumaru hadn't dropped her already.  
  
Kagome found that Sesshoumaru had shifted her while she was in her unconscious sleep. Her chin was resting on his tail, slung over his shoulder, so that she was looking out behind them. His left arm- the one she had healed the night before- held her body against his so that she wouldn't fall. Kagome had a sneaky suspicion that the cloud thing they were flying on wouldn't support, so she didn't mind in the least the constant contact with the cold-faced Demon Lord. It was far more appealing then falling a few hundred feet to her death on the forest floor below.  
  
Kagome slipped her arms around his neck, taking some of her weight off of Sesshoumaru's arm and trying desperately not to think about being in this position in a less demanding situation. This was the closest she'd ever been to the Demon Lord, and she was acutely aware of the thrills he caused in her body that she'd never felt for Inuyasha. His mere presence commanded the attention of everyone around him, and Kagome found herself having to resist the way she instinctively wanted to curl up and go to sleep again in his arms.  
  
"We are almost to my castle," Sesshoumaru said, and Kagome was uncomfortably reminded that her cheek was pressed against his throat. It was probably disconcerting for the powerful demon, not to mention her, so she politely pulled away a bit. "You may stay there for one night, perhaps two, and then I shall return you to my half-brother's care." Sesshoumaru continued, not acknowledging her movements.  
  
"Arigato, Sesshoumaru-sama," Kagome said softly, wary of his sensitive ears only a few inches away. "Thank you also for saving my life and Shippou's."  
  
He said nothing, but nodded, and they fell into a comfortable silence. Kagome, head pillowed on the soft fur of Sesshoumaru's tail, let her gaze trail out behind them, watching Sesshoumaru's beautiful silver hair billowing in the wind. The day was beautiful and clear, and she and her adopted child were safe. Nothing could make this day any better.  
  
Sesshoumaru's POV  
  
They continued on in silence, Kagome resting gently on his shoulder. Sesshoumaru found himself once again contemplating the young miko. He had noticed the way she politely moved away from his neck so that they weren't touching. Most humans wouldn't even have noticed the contact, let alone realized how offensive and uncomfortable it might be for a demon. The neck- the throat- was a universal weak point among the demon lords, who were all mammal-based. Baring the neck was a sign of submission, and to touch another demon's neck without permission was an insult of the highest order.  
  
He'd immediately felt it when she first touched the sensitive skin of his throat, but Sesshoumaru had thought it over and decided it didn't matter. She'd been asleep and hadn't done it on purpose, so he wouldn't snap at her. After a while he'd actually gotten accustomed to having her touching his most vulnerable point, and when she suddenly ceased the contact he'd become a little disoriented. But the fact that she had realized all this about demon society and politely solved the problem without being asked, that was . . . astounding.  
  
Sesshoumaru recalled the way Kagome had sat within his view when she had first offered her aid. Somehow, she was sensitive to the ways of demons. Kagome knew how his mind worked in ways that most humans couldn't guess, and that was more than a little disturbing. She could tell which motions and mannerisms natural to her would bother him, and adjusted herself accordingly. It was both frightening and fascinating to think about.  
  
Sesshoumaru was abruptly brought out of his musings when his nose caught an alarming scent floating on the wind like some poisonous harbinger. Smoke. He pushed the cloud spell onwards, faster, and they rounded the hill to a scene of destruction.  
  
Kagome's POV  
  
Kagome was facing backwards, but she could still smell. The smoke filled the air and her eyes watered. What was going on?  
  
As she struggled to turn around, she heard Shippou coughing on Sesshoumaru's other shoulder. Kagome reached over and pulled him into her arms, managing to twist herself around so she could look forwards. She hugged Shippou close, putting one edge of her kimono over his mouth so he could breathe easier. Sesshoumaru didn't seem to notice her movements, which meant he was probably concentrating on making the cloud thing go faster. As they rounded a tall hill, almost a mountain, Kagome gasped.  
  
A magnificent castle, placed on the side of the towering hill, stood burning in the bright late morning sun. Smoke billowed, blown down over the trees by the wind before rising back up into the sky, a silent sentinel of destruction. The beautiful terraced grounds were black and charred and the towers and walls of the buildings crumbled like a card building. The whole place was as desolate as a volcano field.  
  
"Oh, no . . . "Kagome murmured, gazing in fear and sorrow at the remains of the beautiful palace-like structures. Stone pillars stood like lonesome skeletons amid the burned wood and cloth. Sesshoumaru brought the cloud to a halt above the stone-paved courtyard in the center of the smoking ruins. When he released Kagome, she fell a few inches threw the cloud and landed softly on the large blocks of gray granite and white marble.  
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama!" a voice called out. Kagome saw a woman- no, a youkai- run from the shelter of a large stone well towards them. "Sesshoumaru- sama!" The woman gasped out, coming to his feet and sinking to one knee. "I'm so sorry . . . the miko . . ."  
  
"If this is the fault of miko, you are forgiven, Akiran," Sesshoumaru said to the youkai. Kagome studied her curiously. She looked like some kind of canine youkai, but not any kind that Kagome could recognize. Her hair was long and pale red in shade, almost like fiery gold. As any youkai, she was slim and graceful, with elegant features compared to a human, though not so commanding as Sesshoumaru was. She was dressed in a kimono, plain and unadorned, and presently smeared with dirt and soot, but of good quality fabric.  
  
"They came just after dawn, my Lord," Akiran said brokenly. "There were so many, we had no chance. The castle attempted to fend them off, but their magic was too strong, and they burned the walls down around us as we tried to keep them at bay. They somehow knew that you were not present to defend your lands or us. We could do nothing, and barely got away alive."  
  
Kagome listened with growing horror at this terrible account. Miko had done this? She was glad all her training had been gained from personal experience and Kaede's peaceful and practical teachings. As the youkai servant spoke, Kagome suddenly realized that she was bleeding. There was a large cut on her shoulder, badly wrapped and still unhealed. Her face had some small burning on it as well.  
  
"You're wounded!" Kagome said softly, almost to herself. She wanted to move to help the woman, but didn't want to interrupt Sesshoumaru. He definitely needed to find out what had happened here. She restrained herself, clutching Shippou, very glad that her little kitsune had not been here for this battle. She knew he would grow up to be a disillusioned and battle-hardened kitsune, but she tried to spare him as much as possible.  
  
"Kagome," Sesshoumaru spoke impassively, "if you are able to, please heal my servants." She turned to look at him, and saw the slight smirk in his eyes. Of course he would have heard her comment, seen her start to move forward. Sesshoumaru by now had an intimate knowledge of Kagome's need to heal others. He was practically teasing her.  
  
"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama," she said, smiling thankfully at him. She allowed Shippou to crawl over onto her back, then knelt down beside the youkai.  
  
"My name is Kagome," she said to the woman. "You are Akiran?"  
  
"Hai," the woman answered, looking Kagome over intensely. "I- you're a miko!" she exclaimed, staring at Kagome in sudden terror.  
  
"Kagome is . . . a very special type of miko," Sesshoumaru interrupted, "almost unique, I believe. She heals youkai."  
  
"Honto?" Akiran said, looking from her lord to Kagome and back. Kagome smiled and reached her hand out towards Akiran's shoulder. The wound looked nasty. It was burned around the edges, and a large splinter of charred wood was buried deeply in her flesh. It looked very painful, and Kagome hoped she could get it out before it became infected.  
  
"May I?" she asked softly.  
  
"Wait, please," Akiran replied softly. "My daughter . . . a beam fell from above us. I protected her from the wood, but she was badly burned. If you would tend to her first . . . I can handle this for a while longer."  
  
"Alright," Kagome said, hiding her surprise that Akiran had a child. "Take me to him, please, Akiran-san."  
  
Later That Day  
  
Akiran's daughter, Kotoko, was lying under a tree, away from the still burning buildings and out of the path of the wind. Kagome knelt down beside her in the grass, noting in the back of her mind how similar the two looked as she observed Kotoko's wounds. Only about five or six years old by human looks, Kotoko had the same fair features as her mother, the same pale, straight youkai hair and bright green eyes. Her lightly tanned skin was covered in burns and cuts, and splinters of burned and blackened wood poked out from her arms and legs.  
  
Shippou watched on from behind Kagome's head as she carefully pulled all the bits of wood out of Kotoko's skin. She sent Akiran in search of hot water, vaguely noticing that Sesshoumaru had left without saying to where he was going. Kagome's healer instincts had kicked in by then, and she used tiny bits of her power to isolate all the abrasions on Kotoko's body to keep infection from getting in and spreading.  
  
When Akiran returned with the water and a damp cloth, Kagome carefully washed all the soot away from Kotoko's wounds. Kagome knew the little girl's burns were paining her more, but she had to get the soot out of Kotoko's body before it got in her blood stream and poisoned her. Maybe Sesshoumaru or Inuyasha could withstand deadly wounds and poisons, but Kagome doubted that little Kotoko would be able to.  
  
Finally, Kagome finished. It had been hard sometimes because her burns had cuts on them where the wood had burned her as it scraped at her skin, but Kagome had managed. She put aside the bloody cloth and placed her hands on Kotoko's limbs, then concentrated.  
  
The multitude of cleanly bleeding cuts disappeared at once. After a moment, the burned tissue on the youkai girl's body healed as well, slowly melting away to form perfect flesh with hardly a mark to show for the horrible burns that might have scarred Kotoko for life. Kagome sight back with a sigh, a little exhausted from the long physical and magical process.  
  
"Akiran-san?" Kagome requested wearily.  
  
"Hai, Kagome-sama?" the response came from behind her. Akiran had sat well away, not wishing to distract Kagome while she worked.  
  
"I'm done here," Kagome said. "With a little rest and good care, she'll be just fine."  
  
"Arigato!" Akiran said softly, moving to her daughter's side. "Arigato gozaimasu, Kagome-sama!"  
  
"I can heal you as well, now, Akiran-san," Kagome said, shaking her head a bit to clear it. "Let me get the splinter out of your shoulder before it gets infected, and the rest will be easy."  
  
Sesshoumaru's POV  
  
Sesshoumaru followed Kagome to where his servant's daughter lay. Once Kagome was underway, he pulled Akiran aside and asked after Jaken, An-Un, and Rin.  
  
"Rin was taken, my lord," Akiran said mournfully. "When we escaped the main complex, Rin was with me and Kotoko, but I was slowed up by the burning beam falling above us. A miko snatched her away while I was still under the wooden post. I had the girls crawl out from under me, Rin first, so I was helpless to stop them when they took her. Please forgive me!"  
  
Sesshoumaru nodded to her, thoughts elsewhere. If they had taken his human girl . . . these must be Dark miko from the village west of his lands. They sacrificed blood at the change of each season, but instead of giving of their own ranks they took children from the streets or raided villages and castles. Spring had begun just weeks ago, so Rin had three or four months yet to live. Unfortunately, Sesshoumaru could do nothing.  
  
The village was made entirely of miko women and male slaves. It would be impossible for him to pass the border without being purged by their magic wards. Powerful as he was, no demon, not even a Lord, could withstand the combined purging and guarding spells of over fifty powerful Dark miko. It would be suicide to go near the place himself, and all his servants were youkai as well . . .  
  
Sesshoumaru's gaze settled on the young, untrained girl kneeling before young Kotoko. The _human_ girl. He almost smiled. This was the answer to his problems. Kagome could retrieve Rin for him, all she needed was a little bit of training. Unfortunately . . . that put Sesshoumaru even more into her debt. He simply couldn't get out of this circle of events, could he? Every move he made put him more and more under her control. First her saving his life, then that necklace, and now Rin. But it couldn't be helped.  
  
Sesshoumaru would never admit it, but the little human was far more than his property. He had grown quite fond of her over the three years she'd been following him around. Now a bright young lady of eleven, he had raised her as a demon child might be raised, educating her and teaching her to fight as best she could in her meager human body. It was not a mere affront to his youkai honor that made it imperative that he retrieve her.  
  
"Where are Jaken and An-Un?" Sesshoumaru demanded of Akiran.  
  
"They followed after the miko," Akiran replied, "trying to retrieve Rin. I doubt that they found success, but they will have trailed the witches to their foul lair."  
  
"I will be back shortly with them," Sesshoumaru informed her. "In the mean time, Kagome will be in charge. Try to form a shelter for the next few months. When I return, I will call in the people of the Western Lands to rebuild the castle, but until it is done, you will be in charge of our domestic needs."  
  
"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama," Akiran said dutifully.  
  
He turned, glanced once at the miko hard at work, and summoned a cloud spell. Sesshoumaru set off to the west and the border of his lands, beyond which was sparsely populated land, and then the coast. And, of course, that thrice-cursed Dark miko village. He'd been aware of its existence for some time, but unable to do anything unless they came onto his lands. Well, now they had, and it was time they paid.  
  
That Night  
  
When Sesshoumaru returned on An-Un's back, he found Kagome happily helping Akiran sweep away cinders from the courtyard. Kotoko and Shippou were running around collecting large chunks of burned and charred wood, wearing gloves that appeared to be fashioned from the sleeves of Kagome's now tattered sleeping kimono, while the miko and the youkai servant chatted pleasantly over crude brooms. A small clearing had been made near the edge of the forest beside the remains of his once-proud castle, and a fire-pit had been dug and marked by stones.  
  
Sesshoumaru directed An-Un to land on the unused meadow in front of what was left of the main gate. This whole business with the castle was unfortunate, and bothersome. Sesshoumaru had dismissed all of his father's servants and guards when the family had broken up over a century ago, counting on his own power to protect the few required to keep the castle up and running. His clan had lost a lot of face after his father's scandal and eventual death. Although Sesshoumaru himself commanded a great amount respect among his peers, the Western Lands had lost a lot of territory and power in his father's time, a delicate matter that Sesshoumaru had not until recently been able to attend. Within the last decade he had begun to increase his control and take back some of the lands that had been lost in his youth.  
  
Unfortunately, the Dark miko must have heard of his apparent downfall and attacked his now unprotected castle. It was a mistake that he must quickly rectify (quickly for youkai, anyway; in this situation, he had until the change of the season before things became disastrous). In that time, he could both rebuild his castle and remind his subjects that they were just that.  
  
The three females greeted him with shouts and waves as he landed. Sesshoumaru patted one of the faithful dragons' heads, then turned the intelligent creature over to Jaken to look after. He strode over the rubble of the wooden walls and intercepted Kotoko, gazing down at her as she bowed happily, arms fool of charred wood.  
  
"Did Kagome-sama heal you and your mother satisfactorily?" he asked her. The little youkai child nodded exuberantly.  
  
"Hai, hai, Sesshoumaru-sama, she did!" Kotoko told him, beaming up at him in a way that reminded him somewhat painfully of Rin. Sesshoumaru patted her head affectionately, then turned his attention to Akiran.  
  
"You have assembled a camp for the night?" He asked, noting the lowered sun. In less than an hour the twilight would become darkness.  
  
"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama," Akiran replied, nodding to the small cleared area under the trees that Sesshoumaru had noted before. "Nothing survived the fire, but we can last for a few days until your subjects arrive to rebuild the castle. The well water is clean, at least."  
  
He nodded, then turned to the miko, who had paused her sweeping when he arrived. Sesshoumaru approached her, stealing himself for something he'd never thought he'd have to do.  
  
"Kagome," he began, remembering how she had hated it when his insolent brother called her names, "I have a request . . . if you would consent to help," Sesshoumaru ground out, trying to remain polite. He almost felt empathy towards his brother for being forced to deal with the miko on equal terms for over three years. Five minutes of this made Sesshoumaru feel more awkward than he could ever recall being before in his life.  
  
"Ask, Sesshoumaru-sama, and I will do it if I can," she told him.  
  
Trying to remain impassive, Sesshoumaru continued, and was pleased when his voice came out as cool and emotionless as it normally would. "Rin was taken by the Dark miko to a place that I cannot follow. I would . . . like you to get her back for me."  
  
"Oh!" Kagome exclaimed. "That cute little girl that I've seen with you? They took her?" Sesshoumaru could easily read her emotions on her face as Kagome went from feeling sad to feeling furious. "Of course I will, Sesshoumaru-sama!"  
  
Sesshoumaru began to simply nod his head, but caught himself immediately. "I . . . thank you, Kagome," he said uncertainly. This was the most disconcerted and confused he'd ever felt. To be asking help from a miko woman! It was shameful, especially when one considered the debt of his life in her hands, which had only been half-repaid by his saving her from the fire demon early that morning.  
  
"You will need some training," Sesshoumaru said calmly to distract himself from what he'd just done. "I will shelter you for a few months and teach you to fight properly, but before we begin, there is something we must do. Give me your hand."  
  
Apparently, Kagome was fine with him taking charge again, because she immediately settled her right hand in his outstretched left one, carefully avoiding his claws. With the claws of his right hand, Sesshoumaru sliced the veins in both their wrists, quickly and efficiently pressing the cuts together so that not a single drop of blood was lost. Kagome twitched, but otherwise did not react or try to pull away, and she restrained her powers, which Sesshoumaru felt trying to heal the cut.  
  
"This will make it possible for us to fight each other without the chance of you losing control of your miko power and harming me," Sesshoumaru explained as he held their wrists together. "I do not believe you could kill me accidentally, but I would be forced to seriously hurt you if you lost your control in battle. This mixing of blood will cause your power to be nullified around me. Only by directly attacking me will you be able to use you miko power against me."  
  
After ten minutes or so, he pulled their wrists apart. The two cuts swelled with blood, but Kagome quickly reached out and healed first his, then hers. Sesshoumaru stood silent and still as his body tingled, adjusting to the presence of her blood in his veins. The miko power in her blood, when it reached his heart, curled around his spirit's core, in a different way than that of the spell in the necklace the still rested over his rumpled sleeping kimono. It marked his spirit, as he'd explained, and he felt the way her power stopped fighting her control to get at him as the basic blood magic seeped into his being.  
  
He hadn't forgotten that necklace, no indeed. Sesshoumaru intended to find out exactly what it was for as soon as this little ritual was over. He looked over the miko who'd given it to him and barely concealed an amused smirk.  
  
Kagome stood rigid, mouth open in a silent 'Oh'. Her scent fluctuated, taking on a hint of demonic power. After a moment the smell faded slightly, but was still detectable. His demon blood, quite powerful, would leave a permanent mark on her soul, which would be detectable to any well- trained nose, just as his own scent aura now held a trace of the miko's power.  
  
"Wow . . ." Kagome whispered, staring blindly as she felt the demon blood's effect. "That's . . . really, really cool."END OF CHAPTER TWO

SILVER MOONSHADOW

well, that's it for now! I'm gonna hit the sack. Hope you enjoyed this, y'all, and thanks bunches for everyone who's reviewed!!! I love you guys!  
  
is sesshie too OOC? I tried to keep him normal, but it was hard to do with all the talking and stuff that happened this chappie. and also, do you think i need a jap/eng dictionary? i'll add it if any one asks for it. any opinions or advice would help me out in the future!!!  
  
A thousand thanks to: My Lovely Reviewers:  
  
henteiyaoilover (howdy, beckster!)  
  
bubblesbb03 (isn't sess/kag the best? chuckles)  
  
NightOwl360 (thanks for the advice! )  
  
personwithnoname (as you command, and thanks!)  
  
jerry (I aim to please)  
  
RoguesHeart (twice . . . I love you! and yes, I hate kikyou's rotten, evil guts, so look forward to some death, doom, and destruction!)  
  
Pixy-Misa-Misao-Amano (arigato! hope you like this one too)  
  
sataness-ov-desire (I'm glad you find it as amusing as I do!)  
  
LionHeart823 (thankyouthankyou!!!)  
  
Wolf-Dog-Demoness (I'm glad you like the title, I'm thinking I'll keep it. and yes, I intend for that scene to be laugh-you-ass-off hilarious)  
  
Megan Consoer (thanks so much! I write for my reviewers!)  
  
Caitlin M (I'm waiting . . . are you EVER gonna update?! smirks)  
  
moo (laughs as you say)  
  
Saphira-Dragon-Rider (I DO intend to finish . . . eventually 


	4. Chapter Three

20,12,04- christmas break is finally here!!! woohoo!!! I'm hoping to update this twice over break . . . but don't hold me too it. I leave for florida on the 27th- no computer! well, enjoy!

SILVER MOONSHADOW

CHAPTER THREE

Kagome stared into space, feeling the swell of magic thrumming in her blood. This . . . this was absolute bliss, to feel her magic changing, glowing inside her. She felt the little tendrils of demon magic, with Sesshoumaru's own . . . his own feel to them, take root in the core of her self that housed her powers. A little thrill went through her body as the very nature of her magic changed. It stopped stretching out towards Sesshoumaru, instead curling around him like a warm blanket, enveloping them both. Kagome sighed as she finally relaxed a part of the mental muscle that she had to keep constantly tense in the presence of demons, especially Sesshoumaru.

As the magic swirled and fluctuated around her, Kagome contemplated the deal she'd just made with the demon lord. She hadn't forgotten Inuyasha and her duty to collect the shards. She just felt that that mission could take the back seat for a while as she did this. Kagome really wanted to help Sesshoumaru save his little human, whom he obviously was attached to. It was healthy for Sesshoumaru to have a way to realize that not all humans were disgusting and stupid, and it seemed that this Rin was doing a good job of moderating those emotions. Plus, Kagome knew she was in need of some serious training. She didn't want to rely on Inuyasha whenever trouble came her way. Someday there'd come a time when he wouldn't be able t help her, and if Sesshoumaru was offering her a chance to be prepared for that day, then Kagome wasn't going to say no.

The other thing on her mind was that necklace. She didn't know what she'd been thinking when she decided to put it on him. Maybe she just wanted to get back at him for his saucy remark, but she'd forgotten for a moment that he wasn't Inuyasha. She was actually surprised to see it still around his neck. Kagome had assumed he would just take it off as soon as he got the chance, because she fully didn't expect it to hold under his power. It did match nicely with his kimono, though.

Kagome's eyes slowly came back into focus on the demon lord as the whirl of magic inside her body ebbed away. Sesshoumaru looked like he was about to speak, but before anyone could do anything, a demon appeared in the clearing, startling Kagome and Akiran, who both stepped back as the young man prostrated himself before the silver-haired taiyoukai.

"My Lord . . ." the demon panted heavily, bowing at Sesshoumaru's feet, "thank the stars you're back. Please . . ."

"What is the issue, Daketo?" Sesshoumaru asked. The demon, who looked about twenty by human standards, knelt at Sesshoumaru's feet, breathing heavily to get his breath back. He didn't possess the silver hair or markings of the demon lord lines, but he was obviously a dog demon, with long bluish-gray hair, pointed ears, and fangs and claws. Kagome guessed that he was probably a soldier of some sort.

"My father Hakkai . . . a demon from the south has . . . challenged him . . . our lands burned . . . the human tenants have been . . . been taken, or run off, and we don't have the authority . . . they claimed you had died . . . please . . ." Daketo begged. Kagome walked swiftly and silently to the well, drawing up a bucket and ladling some into a bowl which had survived the destruction. She set the bowl in Shippou's hands and sent the boy off carefully to the panting messenger. Shippou eyed Sesshoumaru for permission, then carefully set the bowl beside Daketo, who scooped it up and drank the whole bowl off like lightning.

Sesshoumaru nodded once to Kagome, then turned to Daketo once more. "Rise, Daketo, and get back your breath," he commanded. Daketo obeyed, looking around for the first time at the destruction of the once-beautiful palace with wide eyes. "As you can see," Sesshoumaru said, "this Sesshoumaru is in something of a dilemma as well, but this Sesshoumaru will return with you to your father's steading at once."

Daketo bowed low. "Arigatou gozaimasu, Sesshoumaru-sama," he said gratefully.

"Jaken!" Sesshoumaru snapped. The toad appeared, but before he could speak the demon lord snapped out an order to bring An-Un out. Then Sesshoumaru turned to Akiran and Kagome. "Akiran, take your daughter and the kitsune to the nearest village for the night. Kagome, you'll come along to Hakkai's lands."

"Hai," they both said, and Kagome remembered at the last minute to bow. Daketo didn't glance at them as they scurried off, Akiran to gather up Shippou and Kotoko, and Kagome to be ready by An-Un when Sesshoumaru decided it was time to go. Shortly, the demon lord and his subject approached. An-Un lowered his An head for Sesshoumaru to leap gracefully on, allowing Daketo to jump up to the Un head. Jaken was already seated behind, at the base of the necks, and Kagome assumed that she was to sit there as well and began scrambling up, but Sesshoumaru's biting voice stopped her.

"Kagome," the demon lord snapped, "you'll fall from back there." Kagome turned to see An's head low to the ground, and watched as Sesshoumaru twitched, then held out his healed left hand. "Get up behind me."

"Arigatou, Sesshoumaru-sama," Kagome said, taking his hand. He pulled her up behind him and gave an order to the dragons. They raised their heads, causing Kagome to gasp and grab Sesshoumaru's kimono to keep from falling off. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Daketo watching her with awe.

They took off, and the wind blew Sesshoumaru's silver hair around her, whipping it back like a curtain around her. His tail curled around her waist to keep her from falling, and she carefully loosened her grip on the back of Sesshoumaru's armor. behind him in the wind, she thought for a moment that she could smell a distinctive scent . . . it was beyond the comforting smell she'd come to associate with him over the past week, it felt more . . . detailed. Confused, Kagome shook her head, turning her thoughts to the issue at hand.

She'd never really considered before what duties a demon lord might have, especially one in such a predicament as Sesshoumaru, who had probably lost a lot because of his father's actions. She supposed it made sense that he would have subjects to protect and lands to patrol, but she'd never really thought about such things in context with the formidable half-brother of Inuyasha. Apparently she was about to gain first-hand experience of the duties required of a demon lord to his people.

It was only a short flight to Daketo's father's land, which made Kagome wonder just how much territory Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha's father had lost. When they landed Sesshoumaru didn't bother to warn Kagome before turning, scooping her up, and leaping to the ground, which, needless to say, scared Kagome silly. As soon as her feet touched soil, Kagome proceeded to freak out at him.

"Jeez, Sesshoumaru, warn me next time, okay?!" she cried, not quite screeching because she didn't want to hurt his ears. "You just about gave me a heart attack!" Sesshoumaru just smirked at her, and Kagome bowed her head a bit, added uncertainly, "And, uh, thanks for not letting me fall, Sesshoumaru-sama." The demon lord simply nodded, still smirking, but as he passed her he said softy, "I will warn you in the future."

"A- Arigatou," Kagome said back, moving to walk behind Sesshoumaru. They followed Daketo, who was studiously not looking at them, to the outskirts of the village Kagome had seen in the woods just before they landed.

The buildings of the village were of a similar style as what Sesshoumaru's castle had been, though simpler and on a smaller scale. Kagome figured that the demons of the Western lands all pitched in to build their lord's residence, which made sense. Sesshoumaru couldn't very well build it himself, now could he? Still, the demons' homes were simple, yet elegant in their own way, and far less crude than the houses built by humans. Kagome looked about, impressed.

A dog-demon with midnight-blue hair was waiting for them in front of the largest of the homes, and Kagome immediately caught the resemblance between Daketo and the older demon. Hakkai, she thought it was, stood covered in blood, bearing a sword that gleamed, obviously having just been cleaned, and Kagome gathered that he'd just won his duel. But the other demons Kagome saw in the doorways of the houses looked very worried, and Kagome wondered what the problem was.

As soon as Sesshoumaru was near, the other demon, obviously older than Sesshoumaru, bowed low. "Thank you for coming to our rescue, my Lord Sesshoumaru-sama," Hakkai said. The other demons bowed from the doorways and windows of homes and from the streets where they stood worrying. Sesshoumaru did nothing for a moment, simply observing all of them, then grunted.

"You have won your duel, then," Sesshoumaru began, and it wasn't a question. "That is well."

"Thank you, my Lord," Hakkai said gladly, rising from his bow. After a moment the other villagers stood also. "And I am glad to see you well, and have one fear disproven. But the situation is still grim. Did my son explain everything?"

"Not everything, but enough to expose the severity of the situation. Have any further developments occurred?" Sesshoumaru asked.

Kagome watched them converse, trying to listen closely and understand what was going on. It appeared that another steadholder from the Southern lands had heard that Sesshoumaru had been killed and decided to move in on Hakkai's lands. Without proof that his lord was alive and the Southern demon in the wrong, Hakkai had no authority to attack the other demon, though defense was allowed. Unfortunately, Hakkai's steading was smaller than the southern demon's, with fewer fighters among the demon population, and the Southerner had run off Hakkai's human tenants and put the torch to their fields as well. This left Hakkai in a bad spot, especially if Sesshoumaru was unable to come. And on top of that, the Southern steadholder had challenged Hakkai to a duel of honor, to defend his liege lord's land. Hakkai accepted, of course, and won, which raised Hakkai's honor and would make things harder on the Southerner when Sesshoumaru caught him. In the short term, however, it pushed the Southern steadholder to be more aggressive so that he could quickly regain his honor by overtaking Hakkai's steading.

Kagome was concerned especially when she heard that the Southerner was using his humans, who by living on his steading were his to do with as he pleased, as cannon fodder. He broke their minds with fear, brainwashed them, and sent them out on kamikaze missions to kill any of Hakkai's people that they found. Few got very far before they were slaughtered, but it kept Hakkai's people on their toes and prevented them from resting. Without rest the demons couldn't heal the minor wounds they had received in the light fighting exchanged between them and the Southern steading's fighters. Kagome also wanted to help the humans, who weren't under their own control. It was horrible of the demon to use them that way.

When Hakkai finished explaining, Sesshoumaru silently contemplated for a moment. "Kagome," he said, and she stepped forward, surprised that he wanted her to do anything besides watch, "go out into the forest and intercept the humans that this thief is sending out. Convince them to disobey the orders the Southerner has given and bring them back here for safekeeping. I also want you to tend to the wounds that the villagers, human and demon, have received. Wakata?"

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama," Kagome replied, glad to help, "wakata. Demo, I need a bow and arrows . . ." Hakkai and the other demons looked at her for the first time, and she heard them muttering and wondering to themselves. "I don't want to be mistaken for a demon."

"Hakkai," Sesshoumaru called, turning back to the steadholder. "Provide her with a good bow and a quiver of arrows."

"Arigatou, Sesshoumaru-sama," Kagome said quietly, waiting for her weapons. A young demon girl, who looked about Kagome's own age by human standards, rushed away and returned with a bow and a full quiver. Kagome took them and ran her hands over the fine wood, then pulled out an arrow and charged it experimentally. It glowed brightly, taking on her magic with ease, and Kagome smiled in surprise. "Sugoi," she muttered, "these are wonderful." She bowed to the girl who had gotten them for her. "Arigatou!" happy, Kagome walked quickly into the surrounding forest, trusting Sesshoumaru to know what he was doing.

Sesshoumaru's POV

What did he think he was doing? Sesshoumaru inwardly berated himself for sending the miko off so quickly, without knowing the situation fully. Oh, he trusted Kagome well enough with her chosen weapon, and he knew she had good control over her powers, but he still didn't know his enemy well enough to be trusting his miko out in the woods. He shifted his stance, trying not to worry. Kagome was his only chance to get Rin back, and if anything happened to her during this petty land war . . .well, he'd just have to work harder and faster than normal and make sure nothing went wrong.

Decided, he turned back to Hakkai, watching the demon steadholder process his thoughts. He'd heard the whispered comments of human and miko, but by showing his approval of her actions and granting her request for a weapon, he had in a roundabout way warned them that she was his servant and not to be touched. The demons would leave her alone for now, but he'd probably have to intervene when Kagome returned in a few hours and wanted to start healing the villagers. He could just picture her face, worried and distressed as she watched wounded youkai refusing to accept her healing magic.

Sesshoumaru snapped out at Hakkai, not really angry but sharply, reminding his steadholder of the most important matter at hand, and the dark-haired dog-demon and his thirty-odd villagers gathered around Sesshoumaru to discuss their options.

Inuyasha's POV

The silver-haired hanyou sighed, wondering what had become of Kagome. The annoying girl and the kitsune brat had just up and disappeared, and Inuyasha wasn't stupid enough to think it was a coincidence that his half-brother had run off the same night. At first he'd been worried that the demon they'd killed had somehow gotten to her, but there'd been no smell of Kagome's blood anywhere along the demon's trail, only a little of Sesshoumaru's, before Inuyasha lost his half-brother's scent entirely.

Inuyasha was saddened to see what his half-brother had come to. There was so much hurt inside the demon lord, buried so deep that Sesshoumaru didn't even know it was there. Inuyasha could tell, though, because he'd felt the same thing nearly all his life. Sesshoumaru had felt betrayed by their father when he'd taken a human wife after the death of Sesshoumaru's own mother, and he took out that betrayal as anger against all humans. Inuyasha had felt betrayed when Sesshoumaru kicked him out, and he'd taken that anger out on the whole world before he'd met Kikyou. If only Sesshoumaru had someone to bring all the hurt to the surface and heal his wounded heart, things would be better. Inuyasha could remember a time when he and his half-brother had been at peace, when their father had been alive and given his love to them both, and Inuyasha had looked up to his older half-brother like an idol. The sadness he'd felt when Sesshoumaru had banished him . . .

He sighed again, worried about Kagome still, and shook away his impossible hopes. He was genuinely fond of the young woman who looked so much like Kikyou, though he'd never love her like he'd loved Kikyou. Even now that his beloved miko was dead, he was still loyal to Kikyou as she was in life. Dog demons were notorious for their loyalty. The dirt-and-bones Kikyou construction that haunted him now, that wasn't the woman he'd loved. No, Naraku had killed Kikyou, and for that Inuyasha would destroy the evil hanyou. He would help Kagome find and gather the Shikon shards out of loyalty to Kikyou's life-long task and his promise to her, to become a human, and out of loyalty to Kikyou's soul, reincarnated in Kagome. Then he would become a human, live out his life and die, and finally join Kikyou in hell.

But in the mean time he had a task to do, and he needed Kagome to do it. Fingering the red beads around his neck, he stared out at the forest, thinking.

Kagome's POV

As the sun finally set, the forest darkened, and Kagome worried that she wouldn't be able to find her way back to the village. She'd only been out for about half an hour, and in that time she'd carefully made a circle of the little youkai village. On the spur of the moment, she'd improvised a shield spell- well, it wasn't really a shield spell, more like an alarm spell. She'd never heard of such a thing before and didn't know if it was possible, but the idea was that if any human or demon crossed the circle that she'd walked, she would be able to feel it. Hopefully, it would work. Hopefully, she could also use the alarm shield bubble as a homing device if she got lost out in the forest.

That finished, Kagome set off towards what she thought was the south, judging from the way the sun had set. She was determined to waylay any humans she saw, hoping that none of them would get by her to be killed by the youkai, who had no choice but to kill the humans to protect themselves. A rusty knife wielded by an eleven-year old half-starved human boy would kill just as quickly as a katana in Sesshoumaru's elegant hands if no one did anything about it. Well, Kagome intended to do something about it.

Sesshoumaru's POV

Sesshoumaru stood immobile in the center of the clearing, feeling out the link the beads had on his magical core as he waited for the next demon attack. Until a demon appeared for him to capture and get information out of, he could do little, so he spent the time contemplating the miko and the spelled beads she'd put around his neck.

It was a simple but powerful spell, and if Sesshoumaru had anticipated it he might have stood a chance of breaking out of it on his own. As things were now, it had woven itself too deeply into his magical core, and only Kagome would be able to take it off.

Sesshoumaru's thoughts shifted to the young miko. Well, she wasn't really young by human standards, probably seven or eight years older than Rin. She'd be . . . about nineteen or twenty years old, now. That was nearly an adult, for a human. And she was very powerful for a miko. He'd never heard of a miko with so much control over her magic, and apparently she had a lot of power as well, as miko went. Kagome needed only to gain more skill, but she was on that road already, if the necklace was anything to go by. Sesshoumaru would probably be teaching her how to fight more than he would be teaching her how to use her magic. But . . . if she'd never received any formal training, would she know the history of the miko? Sesshoumaru would have to ask her. If necessary he would take her to the Great Library in the demon capitol to teach her the histories. He'd made one trip there already with Rin, and he intended to make several more ventures to the City of Souls and the Library to fill out Rin's education. Rin would probably enjoy a trip with Kagome immensely.

Sesshoumaru looked up at the starry sky, tinged purple and blue at the Western horizon, carefully brushing the green beads resting on his kimono, and contemplated the young miko. The moon rose behind him, casting a shadow on the glistening grass, and the dew on the dark green blades glowed and sparkled like silver.

END CHAPTER THREE

A/N: holy crap . . . i can't believe I just wrote all that. whew. my poor fingers. well, it's done for the moment. originally i had in mind for this to be just eight chpaters, but i think it's going to be longer than that . . . well, anyways. thanks to all my lovely reviewers from past chapters, and I hope to see you again!!!

yuya2, Krysta, Meilin H, Saphira-Dragon-Rider, moo, Caitlin M, Megan Consoer, Wolf-Dog-Demoness, LionHeart823, sataness-ov-desire, Pixy-Misa-Misao-Amano, RoguesHeart, jerry, personwithnoname, Bubblesbb03, hentaiyaoilover, Becky

and a big thank you to everyone who reviewed chapter two!!!

Dagorwen of Ithilien (it wasn't really as soon as possible . . . but I got it out!)

yuya2 (I like sess/kag pretty well, but when I first started this I wasn't sure if I wanted to do it.)

ptbear (oh, poo, you're starting to catch on to me . . . hmm. I'll have to work on my confusion factor.)

Megan Consoer (I'll try to get another out over christmas break. reviews like yours are so inspiring!)

Irvin ( only three months . . . that's soon, isn't it?)

aska19 (well, I aim to please. thanks for your review!!!)

shadows-insanity (I'm so glad you like it!)

lyn (I think she's trying to get me to do something, but . . . I just can't figure out what! laughs I shall indeed write more.)

hissori tenshi (I have done as you cammand!!! ohm, uhm!!! glad you reviewed!!!)

NightOwl360 (thanks for the tip! I hope it works this time . . .)


	5. Chapter Four

20,6,05- okay, since my internet connection is broke right now, I'm finally getting around to typing up this chapter. don't hurt me please! I'm sorry I was gone so long! gomen! well, on another note, I hope inuyasha wasn't too ooc in the last chapter. and also, I really didn't intend for this arc in daketo and hakkai's village to even happen . . . it just sort of did. I hope y'all like it! finally, someone kindly pointed out that my story is very similar to the "Unexpected Allies" trilogy by 'Striking Falcon', and I just wanted to mention to you readers that I didn't even notice this at first! A big apology to 'Striking Falcon', and thanks to 'MysticAngel77' for pointing this out to me! I went and checked out 'Striking Falcon's work, and it's very good, so I suggest everyone to go read it sometime! but I'd just like to assure y'all that I have no intention of plagiarizing that fic. thanks!

SILVER MOONSHADOW

CHAPTER FOUR

Kagome sat in the bole of a large Chinese elm tree, carefully wrapping strips from the bottom of her kimono around the sharp stone tips of the arrows she'd been given. She prayed that Sesshoumaru wouldn't gripe too much about the loss of a few inches on the bottom of the kimono- it was already raggedy and dirty and burned, but he seemed the kind of guy who would care about the propriety of the length of her skirts. Well, he'd just have to deal with it, or get her a new one. She used her miko magic to charge both cloth and point, so they would stick together nicely no matter what. She didn't want to accidentally kill the humans she was trying to save, but unfortunately the only way she knew to purify a person who'd been corrupted was to shoot them with an arrow she'd affected. Hopefully, this would be enough padding to just knock the wind out of somebody until she could convince them to stop attacking the youkai village. And if she needed to, she could always just unwrap one of the arrows to make it deadly once more.

She looked up at the sky through the leafy branches of the tree, thinking absent-mindedly about Sesshoumaru. She'd never imagined he could be an honorable feudal lord as well as a fearsome youkai. There was a lot she didn't know about him, but seeing as how they'd never spent any quality time together before the past week and a half, that was understandable. Unless Sesshoumaru was the type of guy who counted high-quality murder as a people skill. Smiling at the irony of her situation, Kagome slithered down the trunk of the tree, in the process adding another rip to her poor kimono. Grimacing, she set off into the woods once more.

So far she hadn't met anyone, but that didn't indicate that no one was out there. She wasn't placing that much confidence in her alarm bubble, so continuing to patrol was her only option right then. She wouldn't just sit back and wait for someone to come to her; Sesshoumaru had asked her to patrol the area, and patrol she would, until she stopped every last human she could find. Determined, Kagome set out, keeping to the trunks of the trees, an arrow knocked on her bow.

An hour and a half later, Kagome had not found a single person. She was getting frustrated. _Of course I can't find anyone when I need to,_ she berated herself derisively, _why would I be that lucky?_ Disappointed, she turned to head back to the village, knowing that Sesshoumaru had wanted her to heal the demons from the little feudal village. If no prey was forthcoming in the forest, she might as well head back and begin that task instead.

Of course, now that she'd given up, Kagome almost instantly spotted a figure limping along ahead of her towards the village. For a second she froze in disbelief, and then she stalked silently forward, cursing fate's damnable sense of humor. Fortunately, her sense of pride hadn't let her put away the arrow she had knocked on her bowstring earlier that night, so she only had to creep close enough to see who it was she was following. Whoever it was, they were going forward quietly enough, but in a shuffling, limping sort of gait that brought visions of horribly deformed zombies and movie creatures into Kagome's head. She snorted at her own silliness and picked up her pace a bit.

It was indeed a human, an old woman in fact. She probably wasn't in the greatest of health to begin with at her age, and definitely was too decrepit to be lugging about a long-handled pick, which she was. She moved quietly through the undergrowth, but in a zigzagging pattern, as though she couldn't quite see or keep her balance correctly. Kagome tiptoed up behind the old lady, outraged at the injustice, drawing back the string of her bow only about halfway. She made sure the padding on the arrow was nice and tight, and then released the shaft of wood. The arrow plunked into the old woman's shoulder blade, knocking her completely off balance. Kagome rushed forward as the woman stumbled, hoping that the youkai spell that held the old woman wouldn't give her any unnatural strength. The woman had keeled over and lay prostrate over a tree root on her side, the pick at her feet. Kagome carefully took the last few steps, but as she moved to kneel down in front of the woman, something gripped her- something that wasn't physical.

Kagome gasped, and her eyes darted to the old woman's face. Her wrinkled cheeks were wet with tears, and her eyes were unfocused, but they also glowed a bright, fiery purple with miko power. She must have been the village miko. Her white hair floated with the static of the power that flowed from her hands. The light gripped Kagome mercilessly, strangling her and squeezing at her own power. Kagome didn't want to strike back and hurt the woman, who was obviously being controlled. The old miko's hands were outstretched and when the gnarled fingers clenched tightly Kagome choked. The purple of the old woman's power was slowly drowning out her own pink light. Kagome couldn't breathe. She hadn't expected the youkai to be able to control a miko this way- to leave her mind coherent but take control of her body. The black color of the youkai magic that had a grip on the old miko pulsed, eagerly trying to infuse Kagome's own pink light.

Frantic now, Kagome fought back at last, pushing at the grasping foreign magic. She wasn't very experienced with this- she was used to struggling to control her own magic, to prevent it from escaping and harming her friends. She'd been able to relax that restraint for Sesshoumaru, but she'd been keeping her power sharply in check for so long that she didn't really know how to use it offensively. Still, she tried. Kagome pushed tendrils of her own miko power out, forcing the old miko's purple cascade of light back away from Kagome's core. She found that she could easily repulse the youkai's power; she supposed that the miko hadn't expected her to have such abilities either. But Kagome quickly discovered her problem. She had a hard time pushing back the miko power that was wrapped all around her, and as long as that purple magic still lingered, the black strands could grow back easily. She would eventually burn herself out on the youkai magic as it kept regrowing before she could eliminate the purple. However, Kagome didn't let despair take her over- she kept trying to purify the magic that got a grip on her, slowly forcing the old miko's magic back.

Sesshoumaru---

Sesshoumaru felt it the instant Kagome's powers fluctuated. She'd been gone for about three hours, and Sesshoumaru had taken care of the details of the situation with the village. He had only to wait for Kagome to return, and then for dawn so he could set out to beat this greedy Southern village into the ground. He'd assumed Kagome was doing her job, rounding up the humans, since there had been no further attacks that night. He'd vaguely felt the dome of power she'd created around the village through their link, but he had no idea what it was and he hadn't felt any further use of her power. But he reacted instantly when he felt her power flare and writhe powerfully through the link. Without explanation, he turned towards the direction that he could feel Kagome's power emanating from. "Stay alert," he commanded to Hakkai, who stood beside him, and then he took off, whistling through the grass, too fast to make out, leaving a scent of worry in Hakkai's nostrils.

Sesshoumaru felt it when he went through the barrier Kagome had erected, but it didn't deter him in the slightest. He didn't know whether that was because he was immune to her magic or because it wasn't supposed to stop him, but he didn't stop to care. He practically flew from tree to tree, following the anguished call of the thin tendril of pink infused in the core of his power. Something was wrong with Kagome, and he didn't know what it was, but it was pissing him off immensely. He needed her to get Rin back for him, and he needed her to heal his subjects, and he needed- he didn't know what he needed. But none of that mattered right now as much as the fact that Kagome was in trouble and he needed to help her.

Sesshoumaru came upon her at last, at the base of an oak tree. With one glance he realized what was most likely happening, and berated himself for having assumed that she knew how to shake loose the grip of another miko. He'd known that there would be a miko in the human village- practically every village had one, especially those under the direct dominion of a demon lord. Why hadn't he checked to make sure she could anticipate and handle this kind of situation? He knew she'd had unusual training at best, radical and patchy at worst, and he knew she didn't have complete control of her powers. _What is wrong with me? Why don't I think straight whenever anything concerns this girl?_

Unfortunately, Sesshoumaru didn't know the least way to help Kagome pull out of it. This was miko stuff, anathema to most demons. Yes, he had tied their magic. But that didn't mean he miraculously knew what to do. Despite what he tried to impress upon others, Sesshoumaru was not perfect. He was powerful, stoic, intelligent, talented, and impeccably groomed, but he had to have some faults. Unfortunately, Kagome seemed to be one of them. He approached the place where she knelt, eyes glowing pink, but was beat back by the purple magic of the other miko. The old human woman didn't possess nearly as much raw power as Kagome, but she was well trained and experienced, and under the control of a youkai. Probably that worthless Southern village head. Their magics were clashing so intensely that Sesshoumaru could see the pulsating mass of their power. The purple cloud surrounding the old woman was infused with a dark heart of black, and those black tendrils twisted out to pry at Kagome's ever shrinking shield. When they touched the pink bubble of Kagome's own magic, they burned away to nothing, but Kagome was hard pressed by the power of the other miko and couldn't take advantage of the situation.

Sesshoumaru tried to suppress the worry that began to dig at him. This looked rather bad for his miko, and he couldn't even get close to her without being burned by the other miko's power. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. He considered it from several sides, holding it thoughtfully up to the light of his predicament. _Well, I've never been suicidal, but there's no reason not to start now._ Giving a mental sigh at the measures he was taking for this little miko, he stepped forward, directly into the purple cloud of the offending old miko.

_Gods, it burns!_ Sesshoumaru hissed in pain as the power fluctuated around him. It circled his core of power, and every time it hesitantly touched the green heart of his energy, it burned away a piece of him. The agony was incredible, but Sesshoumaru noted with fierce pride that his pain was well used. The miko couldn't control her power as much as Kagome could, to force it to stop attacking Sesshoumaru and turn it back to killing Kagome. Her power moved all its attention to Sesshoumaru, and thus away from the panting young miko beside him. This miko had probably never thought that stopping her power from attacking a youkai might be a good thing, and now that such a situation arose, the roles between the old woman and Kagome were reversed. Now Kagome could take a breather, while the older miko struggled to make her power do things she'd never tried to do before. It hurt like hell for Sesshoumaru, but it accomplished his goal.

Kagome---

The second Kagome was free of the miko's grasp, she gasped for air. Her power field disappeared from around her body, and she collapsed on the ground where she'd been kneeling. Panting, she looked up to where she could sense Sesshoumaru. He stood in the grip of the old miko, head bowed, eyes closed, fists clenched, trembling. Kagome could feel the way his brilliant green power trembled in pain at the assault that he refused to counter. Actually, he probably couldn't counter it anymore at this point. He was wrapped so tightly in the old miko's grip that if he stayed there much longer he would die.

Kagome panicked. Without thinking, she reached to the quiver at her back, pulled an arrow, and stripped it of its wrappings. The purple of the old woman's magic was in a cloud around her body, centered between her outstretched hands. Her face was contorted in confusion as she struggled to force her powers to return to Kagome. At the node between the woman's shriveled hands, a black orb of power pulsed. Kagome aimed her arrow there, and fired at point-blank range.

The arrow had only about eight feet of distance to cover at full speed. Not even a full second after she'd loosed the bow, Kagome's arrow blazed into the heart of the woman's miko power. The infected core shattered with an ear-piercing screech, and all three of them were thrown to the ground with the force of its collapse. Kagome was cushioned from the fall by the quiver on her back, and the old woman had only a few feet to go before striking a tree, but Sesshoumaru was thrown back several yards. He bounced off a large prickly bush and came to a stop, and only force of will kept him standing. Kagome groaned and sat up, still gasping for breath, and crawled over to the old woman. She sat sill, and her eyes were clear. Kagome settled on her knees beside the old miko and reached out her hands to heal the woman, but there was nothing she could do. The wounds were in her soul, not her body. Failure coursed through Kagome's mind bitterly.

Sesshoumaru's hand settled on Kagome's shoulder, and she clutched it desperately. The old woman smiled slightly at Kagome and reached out one hand. "Child . . ." the miko croaked, "take my hand." Struggling not to cry, Kagome took the woman's hand in her free one, dropping her bow on the ground carelessly. The moment their skin touched, the miko's power again enveloped them both. Sesshoumaru tensed, but there was no burning sensation this time. Perhaps while he was touching Kagome, their blood bond was strong enough to protect him. Kagome tensed as well, but for different reasons. There was no attack this time. The woman was free of the youkai controlling her. Instead, Kagome was filled with memories. Every moment of the dying miko's life entered her mind, coiling gently into unused parts of her brain. Then the old woman took one last breath, closed her eyes, and died.

Sesshoumaru---

Sesshoumaru gently patted Kagome's shoulder, then offered his other hand to help her up, stoically ignoring the lingering pain. Kagome took his hand, eyes unfocused as she locked away all but the most recent memories that the miko had given her. He gently lead her back to the village by the hand, taking a very slow pace, for both of them, and directing her around trees and underbrush with his other hand on her shoulder. Kagome hardly noticed they were moving; when they were still a good distance from the village, she spoke absently. "She was the last one." Sesshoumaru looked at her, coming to a halt, but said nothing. "The miko," Kagome clarified, "she was the last one in her village. All the others got sent before." Sesshoumaru accepted this information with a nod and began to direct her into moving again, but this time she stood resolutely still. "They all died. I'm sorry I couldn't prevent it, Sesshoumaru-sama." Kagome's voice was hollow, unfeeling, like her mind was absent from the words, even though there was emotion in her voice. Slightly disturbed, Sesshoumaru simply picked her up without warning, ignoring the slight twinge his muscles gave him for the motion because of the lingering pain in his body. Kagome didn't react at all.

When they passed the barrier, Kagome livened a little. "I wasn't sure if it was working," she murmured, and brushed a hand over the air. Under her touch the barrier appeared as a solid, translucent pink wall. Sesshoumaru continued on, saying nothing, walking out the pain cramps in his muscles. Kagome was still in a daze when they returned to the village, but when he set her down she seemed to come to herself a little. "Gomen nasai, Sesshoumaru-sama," she said quietly, looking around and blinking. "I can heal these people now, if you like."

"No." Sesshoumaru commanded, still not satisfied. Her actions were more alive, but still not at all like her normal fiery personality. "You will do so in the morning. We will sleep now."

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama," Kagome agreed demurely. When he moved towards the main house of the village, Kagome followed him silently through the door. He gestured to the futon against the wall, and she lay down without a fuss and closed her eyes. Sesshoumaru could tell by her breathing that she was asleep in moments. He sat down on the futon next to hers, nearer the window, and watched her, thinking. He didn't like this at all. This wasn't the Kagome he was used to. She was too obedient and complacent. It was scaring him a little, and the fact that it scared him at all was even more upsetting. He not only knew this wasn't normal behavior for Kagome, he was worried about her, and he wanted to have her back to herself. Sesshoumaru found that he actually liked her better as a sharp, disrespectful, and irrational human than as this . . . shell. Kagome smelled the same, and her basic thought processes seemed the same as normal, but it was like she was only engaged in the world around her with a fraction of her mind. There was nothing . . . wrong, per se. Sesshoumaru almost thought she might be sleep-walking, or some such thing. Worried, he scooted his futon over so that the edge of it was touching Kagome's and went to sleep watching her pale, expressionless face, a small crease in his forehead, marring the crescent-shaped taiyoukai mark on his brow.

Kagome---

Kagome, meanwhile, was almost in another world. She was vaguely aware that Sesshoumaru was leading her back to the village, but she wasn't really thinking about it. Her attention was fixed on the thousands of instances of memory now recorded in her mind. This miko had been given extensive training, from shortly after her birth until very near her twentieth birthday. She hadn't been the brightest of students as far as improvisation was concerned, which was why she'd been apprenticed for so long, but she had a very good memory. Everything she'd learned, she'd remembered. Instead of improvising, she simply learned millions of set ways to do things. Kagome perused her memories with almost all her attention fully engaged. When they crossed the barrier, she focused a little on it, patting it in pride. She found that at some point Sesshoumaru must have picked her up, because she was no longer walking, but they were getting closer to the village. When they arrived, Kagome slipped gracefully from Sesshoumaru's arms and spent a little more brain power on what was happening around her. She offered to start healing the demons of the village, but Sesshoumaru said no . . . indifferent, Kagome pulled her attention back to the new memories inside her. The information there was fascinating . . .

The next morning, when Kagome woke up, she found Sesshoumaru sitting on the futon across from her, watching her closely. She blinked at him in confusion. _How did I get here?_ She thought, glancing about, and her eyes glazed over in puzzlement. _Oh, this must be Hakkai's home. Did I fall asleep in the forest?_ Suddenly, Kagome remembered what had happened the night before. For a moment, she lost herself in Ayame's memories, but then she shook her head and looked up again. Her eyes refocused on Sesshoumaru's face, and she thought she caught a look of concern there. _I'm imagining it._

"Ohayou, Sesshoumaru!" She greeted him cheerfully. Then, belatedly, she remembered to add the honorific to his name, and cringed.

"Ohayou, Kagome. Are you . . . feeling well this morning?" Sesshoumaru asked her. Kagome stared at him in utter amazement and confusion. He was being polite to her? She scrutinized him carefully. He seemed honestly curious, and a little hesitant. He was being nice!

"I am, thank you!" she said happily, sitting up, deciding to enjoy this unusual politeness while it lasted. Apparently, it didn't last for long. Sesshoumaru stood instantly and walked to the door at the other side of the room.

"There are new clothes and water for washing beside the window," the taiyoukai explained without looking at her. "It is already midday, and I would like to be leaving shortly."

Kagome looked at him stupidly, realizing for the first time that the sun was high in the sky already. _I slept the whole morning away?_ Then her mind caught up with what Sesshoumaru had said. "Wait- what about the youkai from the south? We're just leaving?"

"I dealt with them this morning while you slept," Sesshoumaru stated impassively. "Clean up. There is a meal waiting for you." Suddenly realizing how hungry she was, Kagome bowed her head, and the youkai lord left her alone, closing the door behind himself. Kagome stood, letting the blanket around her fall to the futon, and realized she was wearing only her now-torn under-kimono. She slipped out of it and washed up with the rough cloth and bowl of warm water that she found by the door, her mind floating once again into Ayame's memories.

There was so much she could learn from this old woman. . . Kagome sifted through the woman's life, back to her earliest days of miko training, when she was only nine years old. The first lesson had been to manifest their miko power. Kagome supposed that she was manifesting her power when she charged her arrows, but later she would go over the memory and try it as Ayame had been taught. Absently, she slipped into the clean kimono as in her mind she slipped into another memory. She had so much to learn. . .

When Kagome stepped outside, the smell of breakfast assaulted her nose, and she forgot all about Ayame for a moment as her empty stomach made itself known. Sighing, she followed her nose to the food. Her feet moved her past the few dwellings beside the one she had woken in and out to a cooking fire in the village square. It looked to be a temporary thing, probably set up for expediency during all the fighting, and only one side of it was still hot. Sesshoumaru stood nearby, conversing with Hakkai and a few other older demons, but a young female demon was crouched by the fire, a tray beside her.

As Kagome approached, the girl looked up, noticing her. Kagome watched her eyes flash with various emotions; fear, confusion, determination, and loyalty. Kagome realized with a start that it was the same girl who had produced the bow and quiver for her the day before. The girl stood as Kagome neared the fire, holding the tray in her hands. She looked puzzled and a little frightened, but nothing showed on her face as she bowed slightly to Kagome and silently offered the breakfast tray. Kagome accepted it with a pleased smile.

"Arigato," Kagome said, bowing in return. The other girl looked startled at such politeness from demon to miko, and Kagome could tell that the girl had been put up to the task of making her breakfast. "and thank you as well for the bow last night." Kagome continued. "It is in excellent condition." The girl looked away, cheeks flushed, but her confusion was evident in her eyes, and Kagome left her alone with a sigh. She'd really been hoping to make friends, but the dog-demon was too confused and flustered to talk. Kagome ate quickly and in silence, then waited by the fire, watching Sesshoumaru talk.

As she listened, Sesshoumaru and Hakkai went over the last of their business. The taiyoukai was giving detailed instructions about the political situation, bringing the steadholder up to date on his lord's doings. Apparently, Sesshoumaru hadn't been to Hakkai's neck of the woods in several years, having been preoccupied with the fight against Naraku on other borders. Hakkai would need to spread the word around and refortify his steading's border, which would discourage further attacks from other countries in the near future. Kagome stood when they moved on to the parting niceties, noting with amusement that Sesshoumaru cut them short. He was a blunt man, after all, and pleasentaries were definitely not his strong suit.

Sesshoumaru turned as soon as his conversation came to a close and strode to Kagome's side, whistling for An-Un. The dragon appeared, Jaken dangling at its side haphazardly, and Kagome stifled a laugh at the picture the toad demon made. Sesshoumaru glanced at her, his hair flying in the wind of An-Un's landing, and she buried her face demurely in the flower pattern on the sleeve of her kimono. She carefully kept her balance as the two-headed dragon landed, tensing for Sesshoumaru to grab her up and leap to his steed's neck. However, Sesshoumaru instead took one step in front of her and held out his hand.

She looked from him to the dragon in surprise, and then remembered her outburst the last time he had grabbed her without warning. Kagome flushed and placed her hand in his. He gently scooped her up before jumping carefully onto the dragon's back, and Kagome thought to herself with pleasure that she'd never met such a naturally courteous demon before in her life- even if he wasn't _naturally_ courteous to her.

They took off, and Kagome turned her thoughts to the steading the slipped away below them. She had grown a little attached to the place in the short time they'd been there. So much had happened at the little demon village, and Kagome had learned more in the past two days than she ever thought she might learn from being near Sesshoumaru. It was the first time she had seen the way the other half lived, and Kagome found that they weren't as different from her own kind as she had thought.

END CHAPTER FOUR

A/N: no review responses this time. gomen, but they'll start taking up space that should be part of the story, and i know that it can get annoying. so, just a big THANK YOU AND I LOVE YOU! to all my reviewers, and a huge hug- sorry for the long delay! i'm going to try and finish this fic by the end of summer, and this time i want you guys to hold me to it!


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